Aria Jaxon
Aria Marie Jackson-LeBeau '''(born December 6, 1994) is an American professional wrestler, model, reality television personality, and actress currently signed to Elite Answers Wrestling. She performs on the Empire brand under the ring name '''Aria Jaxon, where she is the current EAW Women's World Champion in her first reign. Her professional wrestling career began in 2011 at the age of sixteen, and she initially worked as a ring announcer before wrestling on the Southern California independent circuit. She signed an EAW contract in 2013, and performed in their developmental territory, NEO, before being called up to the main roster in July 2015. She won the first-ever Empress of Elite tournament two months later. She is also a one-time EAW Vixens Champion, the only woman to have held the Young Lions Cup, was voted the 2016 Vixen of the Year, and along with HBG and Eris LeCava, wrestled in the first all-women's free-per-view headliner in company history. Early Life Jackson-LeBeau grew up in Los Angeles' Fairfax District. Her parents are Melanie Rivers (nee Jackson), a nurse practitioner, and Marcus LeBeau, a high school counselor; they divorced in 1999. She has one older brother, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Andre Jackson-LeBeau (born 1991). Her mother is African-American, and her father is Louisiana Creole (of mixed African-American, French, Cajun, Spanish, and Native American ancestry). Jackson-LeBeau's mother remarried pediatric doctor David Rivers, father of Ricki Rivers, in 2017. She was a competitive dancer prior to graduating from Fairfax High School and planned to study nursing at West Los Angeles College before foregoing it to continue pursuing wrestling. Professional Wrestling Career 'Early Career (2011 - 2015)' Under the name AJ Marie, Jackson-LeBeau got her start in professional wrestling by working as a ring announcer for San Fernando Valley-based So Cal Pro. Around the same time, she also began training at Hollywood Fight Club and worked extensively in San Diego Wrestling (SDW). While working on the Southern California independent circuit, Marie met future EAW coworkers Mia Matsuda (Stephanie Matsuda) and Vendetta Vaughan (Brody Sparks). She signed an EAW developmental contract in August 2013 and reported to the Performance Center in Newark, New Jersey the following month. Her trainers there included Diamond Cage. She remained in NEO from the latter part of 2013 until her main roster call-up in the summer of 2015. 'Elite Answers Wrestling (2015 - present)' 'Empress of Elite (2015 - 2016)' Jackson-LeBeau, now using the ring name Aria Jaxon, debuted as a face on July 19, defeating Ashlynne Black on the Voltage Pre-Show. On the July 26 episode of Voltage, Jaxon won a Triple Threat match over Starshine and then-Vixens Champion Tarah Nova. On the August 3 episode of Battleground, Jaxon and Ariana Lopez lost a tag team match to Madison Kaline and Raven Lee. On the August 9 edition of Voltage, Jaxon teamed with Lee to defeat Alexis Diemos and Hatsukyo Gin. After accumulating six wins and one loss, Jaxon advanced to the finals of the first-ever Empress of Elite tournament. In the main event of the September 22 episode of Battleground, Jaxon pinned Madison Kaline to become the first-ever Empress of Elite. By virtue of her victory, she also became number one contender to the Vixens Championship. On the October 4 Voltage, Jaxon's team defeated Kaline's in a Territorial Invasion-style tag team match. The following week on Dynasty, Jaxon and Cailin Dillon defeated Kaline and Gonzales. It was also announced that the title match at House of Glass would be a 10,000 Shards of Glass match. Kaline would go on to retain at House of Glass. Jaxon teamed with then-boyfriend Brett Kennedy in the main event of the November 2 episode of Battleground, defeating then-Tag Team Champions The Mercenaries (Y2Impact and HBG) when Jaxon pinned HBG. On the November 15 episode of Showdown, she competed in a Fatal Four-Way for the right to challenge for the Specialists Championship; Cailin Dillon would go on to win the match. On November 16, it was announced that Jaxon and Kennedy would compete in the inaugural Tag Team Championship Grand Prix. On the November 23 episode of Voltage, Jaxon, Stephanie Matsuda and Serena Ji defeated Madison Kaline, Lumen Gray, and Ariana Lopez. On the December 14 episode of Battleground, Jaxon and then-Specialists Champion Cailin Dillon defeated Sexy Curry. Meanwhile, Jaxon and Kennedy would win three straight qualifying matches, advancing to the tournament finals. At Road to Redemption, Drake and Jones defeated Jaxon and Kennedy via referee stoppage. Jaxon returned to action on the January 3 episode of Voltage, losing to Tarah Nova. On the January 10 edition of Voltage, she defeated Azumi Goto. On the January 15 edition of Dynasty, Jaxon defeated Alexis Diemos. Jaxon's issues with Kennedy continued on the January 16 edition of Showdown, where she initially rebuffed his attempts at making up. After he lost to rival Lioncross, Kennedy attacked her. The January 18 episode of Battleground saw the Specialists Championship Number One Contender's match between Jaxon and Veena Adams end in a no contest. In the Triple Threat Steel Cage match between Jaxon, Cailin Dillon, and Veena Adams on the January 25 edition of Battleground, Dillon would retain. In a backstage segment on the February 6 episode of Showdown, Jaxon issued a challenge to Kennedy for Reasonable Doubt. Jaxon then teamed with Maxwell Dachs on the February 13 episode of Showdown to face Lioncross and Carlos Rosso, losing after Lioncross pinned Dachs. The February 15 episode of Battleground saw Jaxon, Azumi Goto, and Erica Ford defeat Veena Adams, Silence, and Raven Lee, while Kennedy was on commentary. By the February 20 episode of Showdown, Kennedy still hadn't accepted Jaxon's challenge, so she enlisted the help of rival Y2Impact to attack him. At Reasonable Doubt, after Cameron Ella Ava defeated Chuck Scene, Jaxon interrupted Ava's post-match promo and challenged her to a match, which she would go on to win. On the February 28 edition of Voltage, Jaxon replaced Clark Duncan on the team assembled by Voltage General Manager Ashten Cross for Tag Team Warfare against Hexa-Gun at Fighting Spirit II. The stipulation dictated that, if Team Cross (Starr Stan, Carson Ramsay, then-Specialists Champion Cailin Dillon, and Ryan Savage) won, Hexa-Gun was to disband; if Hexa-Gun won, they would be given control of Voltage. Hexa-Gun would go on to win the match. On day one of the Vixens Cup supershow, Jaxon was defeated by Cameron Ella Ava. 'Alliances; Vixens Champion & Young Lions Cup holder (2016)' After the Vixens Cup, Jaxon joined with Stephanie Matsuda and Cailin Dillon to form Formation. Jaxon and Matsuda defeated Ava and Haruna Sakazaki on the March 18 episode of Dynasty. On the April 3 edition of Battleground, Jaxon and Dillon defeated Veena Adams and Silence. Jaxon defeated Ava in the main event of the April 9 episode of Showdown to earn a Vixens Championship match, also marking the first time a women's match had headlined the show in eight years. At Grand Rampage 9, it was announced that Jaxon would receive her Vixens Championship match at Triple Threat and that the match would headline the free-per-view, a first-time occurrence for a women's match. Jaxon and Matsuda lost a tag team match to then-Vixens Champion Eris LeCava and the Heart Break Gal on the May 7 episode of Showdown when HBG pinned Matsuda. Jaxon, Matsuda, and Eclipse Diemos were co-winners of a six-way Street Fight on the May 16 edition of Battleground, and both were then attacked by Diemos after the match. She appeared on the May 21 episode of Showdown celebrating with Aren Mstislav after his EAW Championship win. On the May 23 episode of Battleground, Formation and Tarah Nova were defeated by The Sanatorium and Haruna Sakazaki. Jaxon would go on to win the Vixens Championship at Triple Threat, pinning Heart Break Gal after LeCava was deemed unfit to compete during the match. On the June 4 episode of Showdown, Jaxon and Dillon won a Triple Threat Elimination Tag Team match. On the June 6 episode of Battleground, Jaxon defeated then-Interwire Champion Mexican Samurai. On the June 12 edition of Voltage, Formation defeated The Sanatorium in Tag Team Warfare. On the June 19 episode of Voltage, she lost to rival HBG. On the June 26 edition of Voltage, Jaxon agreed to a Vixens Championship match against HBG at Pain for Pride 9, after which the two began fighting and had to be separated by officials. Jaxon appeared on day two of Pain for Pride 9, celebrating with Aren Mstislav after his win in the EAW and CWF Championship match. Earlier that night, Matsuda betrayed the Specialists team during Divide and Conquer, effectively ending Formation. Jaxon would drop the title on day three of Pain for Pride. On the final episode of Battleground on July 9 (which was also the 2016 EAW Draft Show), Jaxon defeated Lucas Johnson to win the Young Lions Cup, becoming the first woman to hold it. She successfully defended the Cup on the July 24 episode of Voltage against Phoenix Winterborn. Jaxon's second defense against BB Vita on the July 31 episode of Voltage ended in a no contest when Haruna Sakazaki attacked both women. Her match with Dillon and Nova against the Sanatorium on the August 3 episode of Turbo also ended in a no contest when Madison Kaline returned and attacked Stephanie Matsuda. On the August 7 episode of Voltage, Jaxon confronted Sakazaki over the attack, agreeing to a future Young Lions Cup match. Sakazaki was on commentary for Jaxon's match on the August 14 episode of Voltage, and Jaxon defeated Andrew Stirling despite her attempts to interfere. Jaxon would defeat Sakazaki in their eventual match on the August 28 episode of Voltage. She then finished the Empress of Elite preliminaries with three wins, one loss, and one draw. On the September 11 episode of Voltage, Jaxon, Tarah Nova, Consuela Rose Ava, and Autumn Raven won an eight-woman tag team match. On the first episode of Empire on September 23, Jaxon lost in the main event to Cameron Ella Ava after interference from Consuela Rose Ava. The following week on Empire, Jaxon aligned with Cailin Dillon and Tarah Nova to form The Sirens, immediately clashing with The OG Vixens (Cameron Ella Ava, Kendra Shamez, and HBG). On the October 2 episode of Voltage, she again successfully defended the Young Lions Cup against Marco Fedor. She then defeated BB Vita in General Manager Cleopatra's "evaluation" of the latter on the October 6 episode of Empire. On the October 9 episode of Voltage, Jaxon was attacked by Kenny Drake when he demanded a Young Lions Cup match. During their match the following week, Carson Ramsay ran out to attack long-time rival Drake, ending the match prematurely. Jaxon defeated Consuela on the October 21 episode of Empire by disqualification when Cameron got involved. On the November 3 episode of Empire, Jaxon defeated Veena Adams. Later in the night, she accompanied Nicole Fyre in her Extreme Rules match against Cameron Ella Ava, which would end in a no contest. On the November 10 episode of Empire, Jaxon and Nova lost a tag team match to Madison Kaline and Alexis Diemos. At Shock Value, Team Sirens would lose to Team OGs after Dillon double-crossed Sheridan Muller. On the November 25 episode of Empire, Jaxon remarked in a segment that The Sirens were virtually over. On the December 1 episode of Empire, she defeated Dillon in the main event to qualify for the Specialists Championship Extreme Elimination Chamber at Road to Redemption. On the December 8 episode of Empire, Jaxon teamed with then-Specialists Champion Kendra Shamez against Brody Sparks and Madison Kaline, which they lost when Shamez abandoned Jaxon. On the December 11 episode of Voltage, Jaxon defended the Young Lions Cup successfully for the fifth time against Elijah Stewart. 'Various Feuds; Hardcore Championship Chase (2017)' At the 2016 Awards Show, Jaxon won the award for Vixen of the Year. Later in the evening, she defeated Sheridan Muller by submission and became number one contender for the championship of her choosing. On the January 5 episode of Empire, Jaxon defeated Alexis Diemos. That same night, she confronted Cailin Dillon and announced her intentions to challenge her for the Women's Championship. Jaxon defeated Tarah Nova by disqualification on the January 12 episode of Empire, after interference from Dillon. On the January 19 episode of Empire, Jaxon and Dillon got into a confrontation during their contract signing. In that night's main event, Jaxon and Nova defeated Dillon and Kendra Shamez. At King of Elite, her match against Dillon ended in a no contest when Stephanie Matsuda and Mao Ichimichi attacked both women. On the February 3 edition of Empire, General Manager Cleopatra announced that Jaxon and Matsuda would compete in a ladder match to determine who would face Dillon for the Women's Championship next. Their match the following week ended in a no contest, and Cleopatra declared that the title match at Malicious Intentions would be a triple threat. Matsuda then served as guest referee for a tag team match on the February 16 episode of Empire pitting Jaxon and Tarah Nova against Dillon and Brody Sparks. At Malicious Intentions, Dillon retained and pinned Matsuda after interference from Cameron Ella Ava and Kendra Shamez. Jaxon defeated Autumn Raven on the March 16 episode of Empire. Post-match, she rejected Cleopatra's suggestion that she compete in the Specialists Contender Tournament. She then demanded to face Cameron Ella Ava, with the stipulation dictating that she'd be back in the Women's title picture if she won; if she lost, she wouldn't be allowed to challenge for the title for the rest of 2017. Jaxon confronted Ava and Dillon on the March 23 episode of Empire, where she revealed that she and Ava's scheduled match would take place at Grand Rampage. On the April 6 episode of Empire, she defeated Alexis Diemos. Jaxon would then go on to defeat Ava at Grand Rampage. She confronted Ava on the April 20 episode of Empire near the end of the show to demand a Women's Championship match, but the confrontation drew out Cailin Dillon as well. On the April 23 episode of Voltage, Jaxon interrupted then-Hardcore Champion Ahren Fournier's in-ring segment to announce that she was cashing in the Young Lions Cup and intended to face him at Fighting Spirit: London. This would also make her the first woman to compete for the title. The following week, she acted as Aren Mstislav and Nasir Moore's valet during their tag team match against People With Class (Jon McAdams and Mike Showman). Later in the night, she exchanged words with Fournier in a backstage segment before eventually mocking him following his loss to Solomon Caine. On the May 7 episode of Voltage, Fournier attacked Jaxon in a backstage segment in an effort to get her to pull out of their match. Jaxon got a measure of revenge on the May 14 episode of Voltage, when she attacked Fournier during his match against Eclipse Diemos and cost him a victory. Jaxon then appeared on the May 18 episode of Empire, coming to the aid of Stephanie Matsuda and Serenity Hunter when the two were being attacked by The Coven. Afterward, Jaxon slapped Matsuda and berated her for allowing her personal issues with The Coven to put Serenity in danger. At Fighting Spirit: London, Fournier would go on to retain. 'Women's World Champion (2017 - present)' Jaxon officially returned to Empire on the May 25 episode, reaffirming her intentions to challenge for the Women's Championship. This drew out Cameron Ella Ava and Cailin Dillon. Cleopatra announced that Cameron would defend the championship in a Triple Threat match at Pain for Pride X against both Jaxon and Dillon. Dillon would also serve as special guest referee for a tag team match at Terminus pitting Jaxon and Consuela Rose Ava against Cameron and Brody Sparks. At Terminus, Jaxon and Consuela won when Jaxon pinned Sparks. Afterward, both Jaxon and Cameron were attacked by Dillon. In the main event of the June 9 episode of Empire, she defeated Tarah Nova. At Pain for Pride, Jaxon went on to pin Cameron to win the Women's Championship for the first time. After the match, she looked on as an exhausted Dillon was carried off by The Coven. At the 2017 Draft Show on July 1, Jaxon defeated then-Specialists Champion Consuela Rose Ava by submission. On the July 6 episode of Empire, she closed out the show in an in-ring segment that devolved into a confrontation between Jaxon and the new number one contender for the Women's Championship, Madison Kaline. The July 13 edition of Empire saw Jaxon defeat April Song in the main event. On the July 20 episode of Empire, Jaxon defeated Haruna Sakazaki. On the July 27 episode, Jaxon defeated Kaline in the main event to successfully defend her title for the first time. Afterward, she was attacked by Cailin Dillon, who destroyed the Women's World Championship and revealed herself to be a member of The Sanatorium. On the August 3 edition of Empire, Jaxon (with a new title belt) and Kaline defeated Dillon and Alexis Diemos in a tag team match. On the August 10 edition of Empire, Jaxon and Dillon got into a confrontation in a backstage segment where they found out they would be captaining opposing teams at Territorial Invasion. Jaxon fought Diemos to a no-contest in the main event of the August 17 episode of Empire. Jaxon wound up as the sole survivor for her team, winning the match after last eliminating Dillon and suffering an arm injury in the process. On the August 31 episode of Empire, Jaxon and then-Specialists Champion April Song provided commentary for the first round of the 2017 Empress of Elite tournament. On the September 7 edition of Empire, Jaxon found out that Azumi Goto was cashing in her Control in the Vault briefcase and would be facing her in a title match at Manifest Destiny. Jaxon would go on to retain her title against Goto, successfully defending it for the second time. In the main event of the September 28 episode of Empire, Jaxon defeated Savannah Sunshine by submission. Other Media In January 2016, Jaxon signed with Roc Nation Sports, becoming the first professional wrestler to do so. Through a joint campaign run with EAW, she became a Tapout spokeswoman that same month. She began modeling for Beyoncé's Ivy Park activewear line in April 2016, and became the first professional wrestler with a CoverGirl contract in May 2016. In July 2016, several female Elitists were the inspiration for a collection distributed by MAC Cosmetics, with a "Pink Lemonade" palette being marketed for Jaxon. She has appeared on the covers of the July 2016 issue of Muscule & Fitness Hers ''and the June 2017 cover of ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated (along with Sheridan Muller). She was also was featured in the August 2016 issue of GQ. She is currently a cast member and executive producer of True Vixens and competed on season one of EAW Presents: The Trial. In July 2016, it was reported that she had been cast as the female lead in the EAW Studios film Married & Miserable, ''which was released in early 2017. Jaxon has appeared in three EAW video games, making her in-game debut in ''EAW 2K16 (DLC) and returning in EAW 2K17 ''and EAW 2K18 (where she was one of the cover stars alongside Mr. DEDEDE and Jamie O'Hara).'' In July 2017, Jaxon became one of several female Elitists who had a Barbie doll modeled after her through a partnership between EAW and Mattel. Filmography Film 'Television' Personal Life Jackson-LeBeau lives in the Hollywood Hills, and also owns a home in her father's hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She speaks Louisiana Creole French and admires Beyoncé, who played her to the ring at Pain for Pride X. She enjoys comic book media, having worn ring attire inspired by Catwoman , Katana, and Black Panther. Jackson-LeBeau is also a fan of the Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Jackson-LeBeau began dating Aren Mstislav in March 2016. In July 2017, it was revealed that the couple became engaged on June 24, 2017; Mstislav proposed to Jackson-LeBeau backstage following her match at Pain for Pride X. NEO Elitist Chantal is her cousin and Empire commentator Gia Cervantes is her sister-in-law. She and Mstislav's respective former tag team partners Tarah Nova and Nasir Moore are "like family" to her and is also close friends with Stephanie Matsuda, Keelan Cetinich, Finnegan Wakefield, and Savannah Sunshine. She cites Diamond Cage, Mr. DEDEDE, and CM Banks as her biggest professional inspirations. In Wrestling *'Finishing Moves' **''187 (Reverse STO, followed by a Koji Clutch) **''California Crush ''(Diving corkscrew stunner) **''Kaiser's Crown ''(Running stomp to the back of the head of a kneeling opponent) -- adopted from and used in tribute to Aren Mstislav **''The Pinkprint ''(Standing or springboard shiranui into a double-knee backbreaker) *'Signature Moves ' **Back handspring tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown **Bodyscissors roll transitioned into a double-foot stomp **Butterfly suplex, transitioned into a cross armbreaker **Diving hurricanrana **Grounded knee strikes **''Hollywood Hangover ''(Springboard bulldog) **Hurricanrana driver **Kneeling figure-four leglock, followed by elbow strikes to a trapped opponent **''LA Sunset ''(Leg-trap sunset flip powerbomb) **Matrix evasion **''Moneymaker ''(Standing moonsault side slam, sometimes preceded by a wrist-lock) **Multiple kick variations ***''Contract Killer ''(Super) ***Roundhouse ***Running split-legged Yakuza ***Shoot ***Soccer to the chest of a standing opponent, from the ring apron ***Spinning heel **''Rags to Riches ''(Brainbuster) -- adopted from Aren Mstislav **Rope-hung triangle choke **Running knee strike, to the head or face of a seated opponent **Sling Blade **Slingshot rolling thunder into a neckbreaker slam **Snap dragon suplex **Suicide dive, sometimes transitioned into a tornado DDT **Surfboard stretch, sometimes while applying a dragon sleeper **Tilt-a-whirl, transitioned into a back kick, facebuster, or Fujiwara armbar *'Nicknames ' **"The Princess of Killafornia" **"The Empress of Elite" (as the tournament winner) **'"The Queen (of the New Guard/New Breed)"' **'"The California Dream"' **"The First Lady of Voltage" **'"The Face of Empire"' *'Managers''' **Cailin Dillon **Stephanie Matsuda **Tarah Nova *'Wrestlers managed' **Brett Kennedy **Cailin Dillon **Stephanie Matsuda **Aren Mstislav **Tarah Nova **The Nas & Mstislav Connection (Aren Mstislav & Nasir Moore) *'Wrestlers trained' **Chantal **Cassidy Vega **Kat Ricci *'Entrance themes' **"Partition (Dave Aude Remix)" by Beyonce (July - August 2015) **"Independent Women, Part II" by Destiny's Child (August 2015 - February 2016) **'"Formation" by Beyonce' (February 2016 - present) **"Run the World (Girls)/I Am the Best" Mashup by Beyonce feat. 2NE1 (March 2016 - July 2016; used as a member of Formation) **"Wreak Havoc" by Skylar Grey (September - November 2016; used as a member of The Sirens) Championships and Accomplishments *'Elite Answers Wrestling' **EAW Women's World Championship (1 time, current) **EAW Vixens Championship (1 time) **Empress of Elite (2015, inaugural) **Young Lions Cup (1 time) **Year-End Awards (1 time) ***Vixen of the Year (2016) **Most Valuable Elitist (40 times) ***Most Valuable Elitist (1 time) ***Vixen/Woman of the Week (14 times) ***Match of the Week (5 times) ***Champion of the Week (2 times) ***Promoer of the Week (7 times) ***Beef of the Week (10 times) ***Segment of the Week (1 time) **Empire Eight (5 times) ***Number 5 (2 times) ***Number 6 (3 times) Category:EAW Category:EAW Vixens Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Wrestlers from California Category:Female Professional Wrestlers Category:Wrestlers born in 1994 Category:African American professional wrestlers Category:French characters